GREENWOOD STAMP COMPANY – Since 1962 - The Royal ...

Figure 2 maps the two scheduled coastal and three
inland postal routes operating by 1901. Most interior
routes developed after 1890, encouraged by growth
of trade and administrative needs, several wars with
Ashanti, and expansion of telegraphs. The following
sections attempt to illustrate and reconstruct inland
mail movement along these routes. Remarkably, the
often unhealthy climate and primitive conditions
did not appear to prevent carriers from moving
mails reliably and on time!
Mail Routes along the Coast:
Figure 3. UPU Postcard carried westward
from Elmina to Axim, 1892.
Weekly mail routes are known from 1873. From
Accra, the centre of government from 1877, western
mails were carried to and from Axim, and by 1889
service was expanded to half of Assinie bordering
on French territory (Ivory Coast). This tri-weekly
western service was using 18 mail carriers by 1888.
The ½ d postcard in Figure 3 was carried 75 miles
westward along coastal paths from Elmina to Axim.
Based on the date-stamps on the card and published
schedules for this route (Newroth, 1999), we can
attempt to reconstruct the journey. The card was
marked on Saturday Feb 6, 1892 and dispatched
early the next day to Chama and Sekondi. From
Sekondi it went through Adjuah to Dixcove on
Monday, and from Dixcove at 05:00 Tuesday morning
to arrive at Axim (25 miles away) at 17:00 that
same day (Feb 9).
Mails travelled eastward from Accra to Addah,
then across the mouth of the Volta River, to Kwitta
in a biweekly service 1875-1887. Triweekly mails
using eight carriers began in 1888. Regular exchanges
began in 1889 and linked Kwitta and German
Togoland further east.
Figure 4 shows double-rate registered mail from
Axim to Kwitta, a distance of 261 miles along nearly
Figure 4. 1892 Registered Mail carried eastward
from Axim to Kwitta.
the entire coast of the Colony. Using schedules for
the Axim - Accra - Kwitta routes, this mail probably
was dispatched from Axim on Tuesday, November
1, 1892 (day after date-stamp) and arrived at Accra
on Sunday, November 6. The next eastward dispatch
from Accra was scheduled for Tuesday, with delivery
at Kwitta at noon on Friday, November 11 (datestamp
on reverse of cover).
Special wrappers of at least two types were used
for “free” official mail in the Gold Coast - probably
the one shown in Figure 5 enclosed an issue of the
Gold Coast Gazette. This mail was approved by
signature of Mark Kerr, the Colonial Secretary, and
is date-stamped July 3, 1895. It originated from
Victoriaborg (a sub-office in Accra at government
administrative buildings) and left Accra by the
eastern coastal route on Thursday July 4, arriving at
Kwitta at noon on Sunday, July 7.
Figure 5. 1895 Book Post Wrapper sent to Kwitta.
Mails in the Eastern Interior:
In 1887 the first regular interior mail route began
overland from Accra to Kpong and Akuse, on the
Volta River, connecting by boat down river to Ada
at its mouth. This “mountain” route followed paths
long used by European missionaries and natives,
ascending to villages on a ridge of about 1500 feet
JF06 • the CP / le PC • 35